Pink Sponge
by whenthemarshmallowmettheslayer
Summary: Later that night after the old man had left Naruto had wondered what would happen to his stuff once he died. Maybe he would be a Hokage then and have a family but what if he died before then? Would anyone want anything of his to remember him by? Or would it be left in the apartment like the chunin's stuff had been: just waiting for another orphan to make use with it?
1. Chapter 1

Naruto's arms were stretched out still seeking something - someone - despite years of experience. Even back at the orphanage no one wanted to tuck him into bed like the old lady Asuna would do for the younger orphans and like Inoue would do her younger brother Kyoya. Naruto had learned early on that the older kids hadn't cared if he had a nightmare like Inoue did when her younger brother had one. He wasn't allowed to climb in their beds. Despite this when Naruto slept one of his arms was always stretched to the edge of the bed to hold onto someone. But to hold onto someone so they wouldn't leave him there had to be a person there to begin with.

Dirty fingers twitched at the sound of running water. It takes longer than it should for Naruto to realize his sink is on and that can't be happening because than his shower going to be cold. Naruto is used to cold showers (he gets them when he uses water before a shower or when he's not in and out of the shower) but they're not really fun. Blue eyes snap open in alarm; the plan of sleeping in was forgotten as Naruto stumbled out of the bed only to stare at the sight before him. It's one of them that stood in front of the sink and was running water in it. The mask doesn't move but Naruto knew that they knew he was up. The masks were good like that. They weren't slow like the ninjas that chase after him when he pulls a prank. Briefly, Naruto wondered how fast they could catch him if they were ever to stop just staying in the tree outside and the shadows. His heart started to race because maybe he'll get to know now that a mask wasn't attempting to hide as they watched over him. Who knows maybe the other kids will see the mask and finally believe him. The kids at the orphanage and the ones at the academy never believed him despite how Naruto had yelled at them to believe it.

The mask turned around and began to walk. They didn't say anything but Naruto knew they could see him standing there. Naruto was still silent and frozen in shock. Normally Naruto wasn't one for subterfuge despite, you know, being a ninja and that apparently was important to be one, but despite that, he wished he had just stayed in his bed. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep instead of jumping out of bed then the mask would have stayed long- expect the Mask didn't climb out of the window or even walk out of the door. No, they had walked to his little scraped up table that was littered with stacked up bowls and emptied ramen cups. The mask still didn't say anything to him but Naruto got the feeling he was suppose to be watching. Briefly, Naruto wondered if the mask was a teacher like Iruka when they weren't being a mask. Mask took the chopsticks out of the ramen cups and left them in the bowl that was stacked up on the other bowls. They threw the ramen cups into the trash before working on the dirty bowls. There wasn't any food left in them to grow moldy. Naruto ate everything he wasn't given despite preferring ramen. Naruto was almost always hungry (Old lady Asuna use to tell him he wouldn't be so hungry if he didn't waste so much energy on pranks but that wasn't true. But she didn't believe Naruto. She thought he was being a selfish pig like how others thought he was stupid too to be Hokage or that he was too imaginative because there were no such thing as masks that watch over him.) and sometimes he didn't have enough food so when he did have food you better believe he would eat it even if he admittedly preferred ramen.

The mask put the bowls in the sink that was filled with bubbles. How did they get dish soap? Naruto couldn't get anybody to sell him any after he ran out the first bottle that had been left in the apartment and it wasn't just because they thought he would pull some prank that needed soap. People didn't like Naruto even before his pranks. Sometimes they were ugly and most of the time they avoided him like people did when you were sick. That - no one but the old man Hokage paying attention to him after Asuna kicked him out the orphanage - was why Naruto had started pranking. Yeah people got annoyed at him but they actually paid some attention to him and had a reason to be upset at him instead of just not liking him to begin with. Finally, Naruto found words to speak, "What are you doing mask?"

If Naruto's voice was for once an inside voice neither one of them pointed it out.

Mask pulled a bright pink sponge from one of his pockets instead of answering. It still had a plastic wrapper on it; the kind they only have on when you buy it from the store. They ripped open the wrapper and put the sponge in the sink to soak with the dishes. And then they just left without a word.

"Hey!" Naruto screamed. They didn't even talk to them and tell him what they were doing in his apartment. Okay so maybe it wasn't his at first but he had been kicked out of the orphanage and when the Hokage had found him then it was Naruto's apartment. The chunin who owned this place before hadn't survived the jonin exam. Apparently, he had been an orphan too since there was no family to scream at Naruto or take some of the stuff away. Later that night after the old man had left Naruto had wondered what would happen to his stuff once he died. Maybe he would be a Hokage then and have a family but what if he died before then? Would anyone want anything of his to remember him by? Or would it be left in the apartment like the chunin's stuff had been: just waiting for another orphan to make use with it? Naruto desperately wanted to have someone to want to remember him just like he desperately wanted to be Lord Hokage so then the village would have to acknowledge him but, you know, he was okay if what was left of his property was used by another orphan.

* * *

A/N: Originally posted on ao3 under the pen name youngjusticewriter. Part one of the Spring Cleaning series.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of water filled the apartment. With his fingers under the spout Naruto waited for the water to warm up a bit. If he didn't like showering in cold water he was pretty sure his plant wouldn't either. Eventually, the water pouring onto his little fingers started to feel warm enough. Naruto pulled back his hand and wiped in on his jump suit before grabbing a cup to fill up. There only needed to be a little bit of water in the cup. Plants could drown like humans could apparently. Naruto didn't want to hurt his plant despite what people might think if they knew he had one. When there was enough water in the cup Naruto turned off the spout and got off the box he used to reach the sink. Mr. Ukki was on the table. It was little thing like Naruto himself but one day he would grow to reach past the plastic container that was its pot. Slowly Naruto started to pour water into the cut dish soap container - he made sure that the water landed on the soil, not the fragile plant - only to stop at the sound of a voice.

"Hey kid open up." It was an older man's voice but Naruto couldn't remember who it had belonged to. Naruto hadn't pranked anyone lately after Iruka had asked him to hold off on doing so for just a while

...So why was someone at his door? Especially this late - there was a thing, Naruto couldn't remember what it was called but it was a rule for everyone to b in their houses at a certain time. And by everyone the old man meant everyone. Naruto hadn't seen any of the masks lately. Yeah, dish soap mask bounced in and out of Naruto's life but there were other masks always there for Naruto or rather to watch Naruto. Curfew! That's what word the word was, believe it! There was a noise then like someone was actually scratching at the door. Naruto grimaced because scratching at the door wasn't fun. Yeah, he got feeling better soon after (Naruto always did) but being locked in the supply closet and being left there hadn't been fun at all.

"Don't make me bust the door open!" The voice from before yelled and Naruto put down the cup on that thing - a coaster he recalled - dish soap mask had left for him one morning. Okay so Naruto didn't know for sure if it was them but it was only dish soap mask that gave him stuff in secret. Old man Hokage just gave Naruto money when he wasn't busy. (Naruto was suppose to go remind him if he ever forgot to give money. No, the old man wasn't punishing Naruto he just got busy sometimes or he forgot. Everyone forgets so Naruto had to remind him otherwise Naruto would be hungry.)

"Coming!" Naruto screamed back. There was just Naruto living here (even the masks had been gone for a while) so he didn't have to use an inside voice which was good because maybe the old man behind the door was hard of hearing like Asuna and all the other elderly people were. Naruto didn't need that door to be broken down. Naruto didn't have enough money to actually full. He didn't want to imagine how he might feel like if he had to use money for a food instead of ramen.

When Naruto opened his door he wasn't greeted with the sight of some strange old man like he had been suspecting. No, instead there were a bunch of different dogs outside his apartment. The one at the front was the smallest and it flashed its teeth as though it was trying to smile before it spoke. "You going to let us in?"

Naruto blinked before raising a hand to scratch his dark hair. He pinched his neck after doing so and, nope, he wasn't dreaming. Maybe someone was getting back at him with a prank of their own? Because dogs didn't talk not even Kiba's unusually large one. But maybe some could? Like some dogs were super large, others could smell better, and a few could talk. Why hadn't he learnt about it before now though? This had to be a prank but then Naruto remembered that no one believed him about the masks. Maybe there was someone who knew dogs could talk but wasn't believed just like Naruto was. At the realization Naruto finally opened his mouth, "Will your owner be mad if you're with me?"

People didn't like Naruto messing with their pets or their kids. (Though the kids, unlike the pets, didn't like Naruto so there wasn't as much effort put on keeping them apart.) That's why Naruto kept Mr. Ukki a secret. They would try and take the plant away too.

The dog, whose snout and ears were a few shades lighter than a Naruto's hair, snorted at him. "Kid he's the reason why we're here. You going to let us in?" A pause before an offer to sweeten the deal. "I'll let you touch my paw if you do."

Said paw was lifted up as far as the small dog could lift. The pad of the paw was a pink unlike the rest of the dog. The pink was a few shades lighter than Sakura's pretty hair. Naruto, who wasn't suppose to be pranking for a while (therefor he had a bit more free time that was filled with boredom), moved out of the doorway so the pack of dogs could come in. Once they got settled in. - most were on the floor but the small talking one had plopped onto the edge of Naruto's bed - Naruto asked what was on his mind.

"Why's your owner wanting you to be over here? To be with me," Naruto trailed off then not sure how to explain it. Actually he wasn't sure he wanted to explain why this was such a shock because if they knew how much people didn't like him maybe they would listen to people, not Naruto, and just treat him like everyone else did. Naruto didn't want that. He didn't want to be alone besides that of Mr. Ukki. Yeah, Mr. Ukki was great listener but sometimes Naruto wanted someone to talk to. Or, truly, just someone. Someone to hold when he had a nightmare or hurt himself. Yeah, he wasn't hurt for long but that didn't mean it wouldn't be nice to have someone to care that he hurt himself. They wouldn't even have to kiss it better! They just had to care. That's all Naruto wanted.

Someone that cared. (And that was why after all these he still kept an arm always stretched out when he slept. Because, like being Hokage, one day Naruto was going to have someone in life that cared no matter what people said.)

The pug looked up at Naruto with his big ol eyes before squinting them. "Can you keep a secret?" The old dog didn't whisper like the girls did in Naruto's class when they were sharing secrets with each other. His voice was the same as before - it hadn't been raised, nor had he lowered it.

"Believe it!" The desire to smile tugged on his lips (this was the first time someone wanted to share a secret with him) but Naruto kept his whiskered face serious so he would be treated as such.

"Before we get to the secret kid there's something you need to be set straight on. We don't have an owner. We have a contractee - we're equals. Got it?" After Naruto enthusiastically nodded (he would ask why would s person have a contract with an animal later) the pug went on. "The secret is humans are idiots."

Naruto stared at the dog laying on his bed. He wasn't sure how to act on the secret he had just been given. It always angered him when people acted like he was idiot so maybe he should stick up for his kind. He didn't get a chance to try though because the dog started talking again. "There's more to that secret but I'm pretty sure K- he'll be upset if I say more. Again humans are stupid and that's not even touching on the whole mess with the Uchiha police and civilians that's been going on. Which is why we're here. He and the others can't watch over you even though you might need it."

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized who they probably were talking about. The masks. These were the masks - or rather mask's - dogs. The pug stretched his paws out and yawned as he did so. Carefully Naruto made sure not to step on any paws or tails of the other dogs as he made his way to his bed. When he got there he sat on the edge of it so he was next to the droopy eyed dog.

"Will you still be here in the morning?" Naruto had to ask.

The pug made a noise of agreement. It was okay then. Naruto was dying to ask more questions but the dog seemed tired. He'll ask them - which mask was their contractee, what was this about the Uchiha police and was that why he wasn't suppose to be pranking for a while - in the morning even though Naruto really wanted the answers now. On the bright side he wasn't so bored now and this way there was going to be someone there to hold. After all the pug had said Naruto could touch his paw if he let them in the apartment.

* * *

A/N: Originally posted on ao3. My user name on there is youngjusticewriter. If you want quicker updates keep an eye on the fic over there because I primarily write on archive of our own. This wasn't suppose to have a second chapter but my muse did a thing.


End file.
